1. admit that one has committed a crime or done something wrong: "he confessed that he had attacked the old man"Similaradmitacknowledgerevealmake knowndisclosedivulgemake publicavowdeclareblurt outprofessown up totell all aboutbring into the openbring to lightinformal:blow the lid offarchaic:discoverown upadmit guiltplead guiltyaccept blame/responsibilitybe completely honesttell the truthtell allmake a clean breast of itunbosom oneselfinformal:come cleanfess upspill the beanslet the cat out of the bagget something off one's chestlet oncoughOppositeconcealdeny
▪ declare (one's religious faith): "150 people confessed faith in Christ"
▪ declare one's sins formally to a priest: "I could not confess all my sins to the priest"
▪ (of a priest) listen to the confession of:"St Ambrose would weep bitter tears when confessing a sinner"
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus, past participle of confiteri ‘acknowledge’, from con- (expressing intensive force) + fateri ‘declare, avow’.